Selecting device for knitting machines



July 30, 1940. R, LAWSON 2.209529 SELECTING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1936 Q 5 Sheets-Sheet l f/I/Vi/I/TMP 2055/2719. ZAWffl/lf By 636 1273 July so, 1940. R. H. LAWSON 2,209,529

SELECTING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Opt. 12, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 m r F10. z.

HHHIW/ W. I Mi i 'l f I I ZAUZE/ fiaazzrizAn w/lg 'By (2%, TQPW July 30, 1940. R LAWSON I 2,209,529

SELECTING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1936 5 SheetsSheet f vl/zzwwa' 12 0551877? 11m? Y 7 7 7 1773.

SELECTING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1936 5 She ets-Sheet 4 Pic. 5. 63 e '13 8b 80 AWE/WW5:

July 30, 1940. R. H. LAWSON SELECTING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES 5 Sheets-She et 5 Filed Oct. 12, 1936 v MIR/V701? Ram/ 27.6.

Patented July 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATIENT. yorricc Robert H. Lawson, Pawtucket, R. L, ass'ignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. 1., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 12, 1936, Serial No. 105,221 In Canada December 12, 1935 2 Claims.

This case is concerned with new and useful improvements in a device for forming pattern or fancy work in knitted fabrics such as are pro duced on multi-feed knitting machines andthe method involved therein. This case is a continuation as to all common subject matter of the applicants co-pending United States application Serial No. 88,197, wherein the principles involved and one form of mechanism have been shown and broadly claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation of a multi-feed knitting machine to which. the invention may be applied;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing one form of the invention as applied to needle selecting jacks;

Fig, 3 is a diagrammatic View showing cams which function upon needles and jacks, and also the pathway of needle and jack butts as they pass through said cam;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View showing needles and jacks in a cylinder, the cylinder being shown in section, and one of the selecting units constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a modified form of the invention as it is applied to a similar machine having selectively operated pressers;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the invention as applied to presser cams and also showing one of the special presser cams in its operating slide; and

Fig. is a section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

As was true of the United States application above referred to, the selecting device employed on the machine as illustrated has a series of manually set plungers or other pattern elements which are to function upon some one of the knitting instrumentalities such as needles, sinkers, sinker jacks, pressers or needle jacks. It is to be understood that these knitting instrumentalities are to be provided with removable butts or the like upon which the operating ends of said pattern elements will function to cause said knitting instrumentalities to knit plain fabric or to form ornamental stitches such as tuck stitches, draw stitches or float work. Once these manually controlled plungers have been set up to produce a definite pattern the multi-feed knitting machine will knit that pattern until another pattern has been set up which would necessitate stopping the machine and making the necessary manual adjustments. The particular figure or appearance of the ornamented fabric will be produced in exact duplication during each successive revolution of the needle cylinder or cams, depending upon which of these elements happens to be the movable one. The size of figure of ornamentation which may be produced depends in width upon the number of separate pattern elements and removable butts with which they may cooperate, and in length, upon the number of separate automatic control of certain ones of the pattern I elements or plungers, whereby the pattern may be interrupted at certain places within a course or during certain predetermined courses as desired. This makes it possible to space figures in a manner not capable of being attained heretofore with only the manually set pattern means of the type described in United States application Ser. Nos. 706,082 and 56,991, over which both of these later filed cases are an improvement. This spacing of figures may be alternated to create different aesthetic effects, and by interrupting the patterning entirely throughout certain spaced courses, an effect is obtained which could not have been realized with the use of manually controlled pattern devices such as originally described. This assumes that a fabric having figures of maximum size is to be produced on the machine.

Among other objects of the invention of the particular case, the invention is to be applied to needle jacks or other instrumentalities operating to continuously cause needles or other instrumentalities to knit plain fabric except when. interrupted by one or more of the pattern elements to knit any one of the ornamental stitches com-' monly knitted on such machines. In the modification herein specifically shown and described the invention has been applied to selectively controlled pressers such as are employed with spring beard needles, the pattern device causing said pressers to function in knitting plain work, and the automatic part of the mechanism being employed as a supplemental means to cause beard pressing when it is desired to interrupt the production ofa pattern or figure being produced by failure of the presser or pressers to function upon cooperating needle beards.

' Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a multi-feed knitting machine has been shown having a frame l standing. upon legs 2 having rotatable needle cylinder tdriven by gears 4, 5, E and 1, these being in turn driven by a pulley 8 connected to any suitable source of power'and driving "gear 1 through any suitable drive controlling and/or speed changing means generally indicated at 9. A plurality of needle and sinker controlling cam units generally indicated at H] are to be spaced about the needle cylinder and will be provided with the necessary cams to cause needles and sinkersto draw yarn and knit fabric. Any suitable number of these units may be spaced about the machine and two have been illustrated in Fig. l merely for purposes of showing one general type of multi-feed knitting machine to which the invention is to be applied. It is to be underas' separate units and that they may extend completely about the circumference of said needle cylinder, the principles applying equally to ma: r

chines of that construction. Further, the cylinder may be stationary and the cams and select ing devices may be caused to rotate relatively thereto.

In Fig. 2 one of a series'of needles H is shown having a butt l2 thereon which is controlled by stitch cams i3 and I4. Within the same slot and beneath needle H is provided a jack l5 having a series of removable butts thereon, all of the butts being shown on the jack but it being understood that in accordance with certain pattern requirements, several of these butts would be broken or otherwise removed from each jack. The cylinder 3 is of the built-up type having a needle backing strip I6 of hardened steel, although it is not necessary-that the cylinder be of this construction since needles may work within tricks cut in the cylinder itself. This jack [5 pivots at H and is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of a spring it maintained within a circumferential groove in the cylinder and working in a recessed portion of the jack above the pivot point. This spring l8 rocks said jack about point i! so that a butt l9 will normally engage a series of cams 20. Referring to Fig. 3, these jacks moving from right to left will be raised by cams 20, the jacks following in the path 2! to raise needles so that their butts 52 will move up to the elevation of pathway 22. The needle will then engage a cam 23 which will cause the needle to clear its latch and take yarn for a new loop. In such case needles taking yarn will be drawn down by cam 53 and then will be controlled to relieve the stitch by cam I 4. The jack will be returned to its lowest position by cam 24 functioning upon butt 25, the operation of knitting plain loops as outlined in the preceding paragraph will continue at each separate feeding station about the machine unless interrupted by some one of the selecting plungers 26 working in separate slots in supports 21 and '28 and which plungers are to be maintained in an active butt engaging position or in the position shown in Fig. 2 depending upon the manual setting of the said plungers. This manual opera: tion of selecting elements and the specific construction of the same has been fully disclosed in co-pending applications Ser. Nos. 706,082 and 56,991 so that a further description of the same will not be necessary in this particular case.

In the event that a plunger or selecting instrument is maintained in active butt engaging position and a jack has a butt thereon opposite said plunger, that plunger will push the jack radially inward rocking it on point I! against the tension of spring 18 so that the butt l9 will not engage the next following cam 20. The needle superposed above the jack so operated will not be raised to contact cam 23 and thus will not clear its latch to cast off nor will it take any yarn. Such a needle will cause a float stitch to be knitted at that particular feed.

The construction of the machine may be such that the needle would not be raised to clear its latch but would pass through the subsequent feeding station at such a height that it would take yarn, and in such case a tuck stitch would be formed. Control of needles to knit tuck and float stitches is well-known and both forms have not been shown in this case for purposes of simplifying the disclosure.

It can be seen that as much of the mechanism as has been thus far described will cause a particular pattern to be knitted at each feeding station and that for each subsequent revolution of the machine. this pattern will be exactly duplicated. By means of automatic control of each selecting plunger assembly I have made it possible to interrupt this pattern for a complete course or for several courses and also to vary the pattern by interrupting portions of it throughout the course.

The supports 2'! and 28 for the selecting instruments 26 terminate at their lower ends in a base portion 29 which would normally be permanently'attached to the circular base or some other supporting element on the frame of the knitting machine. As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, this base 29 has been arranged to slide radially of the machine within a plate 30 attached to the circular base 3i. These elements 29 and 33 are provided with tongues and grooves or other mechanical means which would provide the sliding relationship of the selecting assembly relative to its support. Obviously, these tongues and/or grooves or dove tail slots might be cut directly in the circular base of the machine, although that would be an expensive method of manufacture.

A shouldered bolt 32 is threaded into the circular base and in conjunction with a sleeve 33 and washer 34 these elements form a support for rotatably mounting lever 35 which extends in one direction to overlap an extending portion 36 of the base 29. 'Lever 35 is slotted to engage a screw 37 threaded into the extension 36. A spring 38 attaches at any suitable fixed portion of the machine and to the lever 35, this spring being under sufiicient tension to normally maintain the whole selecting assembly inwardly providing pattern controlling elements hereinafter to be described do not move said lever and assembly outwardly for the purpose of blotting out any pattern which is being produced. The base 29 or some other part of the selector assembly would strike against a fixed or adjustable stop (not shown) thus assuring that each of the units always returns to proper operating position after being withdrawn for the purpose described.

Pattern disc 39 is removably attached to a sleeve or hub 48 which is in turn rotatable upon an axis 4! similar to that upon which the lever 35 is mounted. This hub or sleeve also has a ratchet wheel 42 formed integral with or secured thereto by means of which the hub and discs are rotated. Pattern disc 39 has removable butts 43, herein ten such butts, but is not necessarily limited to any particular number of the same. The butts 43 may be removed by breaking or cutting or in any other satisfactory manner and said disc is arranged at such a height that these butts will engage a toe 44 projecting from a second arm on the lever 35. As illustrated in Fig. l, toe 44 is opposite one of the butts on disc 39 and lever 35 has been moved against the resistance of spring 38 ti. withdraw the entire selector assembly away from a position wherein any of the selector instruments 26 might engage butts on jacks or other knitting instrumentalities.

A lever 45 is fixed at the upper end of a spindle or short shaft 46 which extends down through a bushing 4'! in the base of the machine and has adjustably mounted at the lower end another short lever or cam follower 48. A spring 49 always draws-lever 45 back against a stop pin 50. Lever 45 has pivoted "at 5| a pawl 52 which engages the ratchet teeth on ratchet wheel 42. A coil spring 53' maintain's the free end of pawl 52 against th'e"r'atchet wheeli'and allows said pawl one cam 54 may be attached to the ring gear 4 thus making it possible to move each pattern assembly to or from active position one or more times during a revolution of the machine.

As a simple example of one use to which this 1 device may be put, assume that all pattern or selecting assemblies are in active position in which position the toes 4.4. of all similar levers will be resting within spaces left by removed butts on pattern discs 39. One or more of the selectors 26 will be in an active or inwardly projecting position and, of course, these selectors will be working, upon certain butts left. on jacks 15. According to the arrangement of selectors and the jacks some pattern will be produced, this pattern being repeated during each successive revolution of the cylinder, i. e., during each group of courses knitted during that revolution. If. during the next revolution of the machine it is desired to knit a like number of courses having no ornamentation at all, the cam 54 striking all of the levers 48 prior to each feed. knitting during that next revolution will ratchet pattern disc- 39. so that each of the toes 44 on levers 35 will ride up on to a butt 43 withdrawing each of the assemblies to a position such as that shown in Figs. 2 and 4 wherein no one of the plungers 26 can engage a butt on one of the jacks. The next group of courses knitted throughout the subsequent revolution of the machine may again knit plain fabric or may repeat the knitting of the pattern work depending upon whether or not the next butt 43 to be encountered by toe 44 on each lever has been broken out of the disc or not. The above illustration assumes that all of the assemblies spaced about the machine, one for each feed, are to be operated in the same manner, but if other variations of pattern are to be required it is quite obvious that some assemblies will be selectively withdrawn while others remain in a pattern controlling position.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and '7, a modified form of the invention will be described wherein a selecting unit very similar-to that of the first form is used to selectively'control the action of pressers. The machine illustrated in Fig. has the usual circular base 55, and rotatable needle cylinder 56 having spring beard needles 5'! individually movable therein. needle assembly is preferably rotated by means of a ring gear 58 attached indirectly to said cylinder this ring gear being driven by pinion 59 and other suitable driving means. A plurality of cam unitshave been spaced about the machine one of which is shown having needle cams 60. These and 6! attached toa cam block or ring 62. cams work on suitable butts at the lower end of the needles and pressers 63 are. arranged within each of the needle slots to function with their corresponding needles to press the. beards thereof in a manner well-known inthe art. Each of these pressers rocks about a point 64 at the lower end thereof and is notched for the reception of a coil spring 65 which restrains said pressers from moving lengthwise of the cylinder, and also,

This cylinder and' since. it islocated slightly below the pivot point, tends to, rock the outer ends of pressers away from the. needles.

To the cam support 62 has been. attached a bracket G6 which supports a. series of selecting plungers or elements 26' mounted in upright supportslli, 28." corresponding. to supports 21 and 28'. of. the fi'rstformof the invention. As was disclosed. in the prior applications to which I have referred; each of these plungers 26 is movable to-and: from an active position and is to be satisfactorily held in either of the positions. For any particular pattern the machine operator will. set. these plungers manually, the plungers remaining in: that set. position until. it is desired tochange the pattern at which time another manual setting of the plungers. will be effected. Each ofthe plungers. has its inner end shaped in the. form of a presser cam 61 and as-these presser cams or any one. of them engage a butt 68 on one of the pressers, that presser will be properly revolution ofthe needle cylinder, or of the cams and pattern means in case the. cylinder is stationary, a. series of courses will be knit corresponding to the number of feeds about the machine andthese courses will be ornamented in some definite manner. During; each subsequent, revolution, this pattern will be repeated unless mechanism about to be described is automatically controlled to vary the pattern produced within the revolution or to nullify the pattern for one or more revolutions;

Each of the pressers has been provided with two extra removable butts at substantially the upper end of said pressers, and upon these butts are arranged to function under automatic. control a pair of presser cams 69 and 10. .These presser earns 69 and 10 are respectively integral with a pair of long; plungers H and 12 extending in a radial, direction through working slots in the cam cap 13. Referring to Figs. Sand 7, it will be noted that the cam cap has. been milled out to provide one-large slot for an element 14- having, a slot thereinfor plungers 12 while the corresponding slot has been cut in the cap itself above element 14 for plunger 1 I These plungers and. presser cams work in a portion of the cap whichis located above the cam section 15 and thus ofi'er no interference to the control of sinkers 16. Each of the plungers H and 12 has a small plate ll attached thereto by means of a screw passing through an elongated slot in the plate and threaded into the plungers, It is the purpose ofthese plates to limit the movement of pressercams 69. and 10 and further, to allow an adjustment of that movement.

lfhis sinker cap, the cam section and ring K6 are all-supported on upright brackets or columns Fl spaced at intervals about the machine. The sinkers 16 are slidable within slots in a floating ring 15' which rotates in a bearing in the stationary ring 16. This floating ring is also slotted at its inner side for the purpose of engaging (iii;

the needle slots in the cylinder and being driven thereby. It is .obvious that other. supporting means can be used for the sinkerswhich might clamp directly to the cylinder and which would not depend upon anyv hearing withinthe element 16'. I l

A shoulder stud 18 projects upwardly from the circular base of the machine and a screw 19 is threaded therein at the upper end to rotatably support levers 89 and 8| each individually movable and being spaced from one another by means of a washer 82;: Lever 89 extends within a groove or slot cut in the side of plunger H and under the influence of a spring 83, said lever tends to hold'the presser cam 69 inwardly or in a position to engage the upper one 'of the extra presser butts. Likewise, the'lower lever 8| having a similar spring (not shown) will tend to influence plungers 12 and cam 10, these levers, cams, etc.,.being shown in opposite positions in Figs. 5 and 6. J I

Closely adjacent stud 78 a long sleeve 84 having a ratchet wheel 85 at the lower 'endthereof has been arranged to rotate on an axis 86. At the upper end this sleeve supports rotatable pattern discs, one foreach of the levers and. 8|, these discs having a plurality of removable butts thereon. Eachof the levers has a toe or follower- 91 which engage the butts on discs or in the spaces left by a removable butt in case one has been cut or broken away. In Figs. 5 and 6 the toe of lever 89 is shown resting within a space left by the removal of one of the butts on the corresponding disc so that cam 69 is functioning to press all beards of needles through cor responding pressers having the upper butt thereon. The lower lever 8| holds its cam 10 in an outer or inactive position since it is resting on a butt on its disc. i

- A short spindle 88 capable of turning within bushing 89 has fixed to the upper end a short lever 93 and at the lower end a member or cam The upper lever 90 has pivoted thereto a pawl 92 which engages teeth on ratchet follower 9 l.

wheel and functions at such times as cam 93 fixed to ring gear 58 strikes against follower 9| to move the pattern discs through the space of one butt. A spring 94 will return the pawl and lever 99 to the original position for engaging another tooth on the ratchet wheel, the limits of this movement being determined by stop pin 95. A coil spring 96 always maintains the pawl in engagement with teeth on the ratchet wheel. I

As stated with respect to the first form of the invention, more'than one cam 93 may be spaced about the machine for causing change of position with respect to cams 69 and 10 more than once during the revolution of the machine, this being dependent entirely upon the particular variation of pattern which the knitter desires. It being understood that a needle having its presser operated, and therefore its beard pressed, will make a plain stitch and one failing to have its beard pressed will knit a tuck stitch, any time that it is desired to prevent the formation of a tuck stitch on any particular needle, it is merely necessary to project one or the other of the cams G9 or 'lll 'to' engage one of the extra butts left on the upper end of the corresponding presser. If it is desired to entirely obliterate all pattern work for a complete revolution all plun'gers will be'puslied in at one of the levels whereina butt has been left on all pressers at that level, but if some butts are remaining in the upper position and some in the lower position, it will be necessary to push in both of the cams 69 and'lO to completely blot out pattern work unless more than one cam 93 is employed. As another variation of the pattern, some of the upper butts may be left on one group of plungers and alternate groups may have the lower butts left thereon. Both plungers will be in active position thereby causing a staggered arrangement of pattern figures to be knitted. It is quite evident that numerous variations may be obtained and it is not the purpose of this case to attempt to distinguish all of these diiferent pattern possibilities, a few of the simpler possibilities being disclosed merely for purpose of illustration.

It is evident that more cams similar to 69, 79 may be provided and likewise, more butts for engagement with them. This will still further broaden the field of pattern work possible beyond that available with manually controlled plungers or'selectors only.

The principles of the invention may be applied to similar machines and to somewhat different problems without departing from the scope of the original invention, but it is to be understood that what has been illustrated and described in this case is by way of illustration only and is not to be interpreted in a limiting sense. The invention is defined'in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Pattern mechanism for use with multi-feed knitting machines having knitting needles and jacks, including a series of manually controlled selecting elements at each of a plurality of feeding stations for functioning upon a corresponding series of removable butts on the jacks individual to the knitting needles, said jacks having permanent buttsthereon whereby they are raised upon engagement with cams spaced about said machine, a plurality of removable butts on each jack spaced opposite selecting elements, whereby a jack may be selected, a support for said selecting elements at each of the mentioned plurality of feeds, said support being movable to and from a position where said elements may selectively engage butts on the jacks, and pattern controlled means functioning so to move each said support selectively.

2. Pattern mechanism for use with multi-feed knitting machines having knitting needles and rocking jacks, including a series of manually controlled selecting elements at each of a plurality of feeding stations for functioning upon a corresponding series of removable butts on the jacks individual to the knitting needles, said jacks having permanent butts thereon whereby they are raised upon engagement with cams spaced about said machine, a plurality of removable butts on each jack spaced opposite selecting elements, whereby a jack may be selectively rocked, a support for said selecting elements at each of the mentioned plurality of feeds, said support being movable to and from a position where said elements may selectively engage butts on the jacks, and pattern controlled means functioning so to move each said support selectively.

ROBERT H. LAWSON. 

